|
|
|
Click here for Franciscan
calling
Click back to Accessibility
homepage
Our vocation is a response to the inner
promptings of God to follow the path of Christ in a variety of different ways.
As Christians our primary calling is rooted in baptism, where we proclaim what
God has done for us in Christ. It is the moment where in our journey of faith we
move from darkness to light, from death to life, from being self-centred to
being God centred.
The Religious Life is one expression of a
deeper commitment and calling to follow in the footsteps of Christ. It is a
life-long commitment to living a life under vows (poverty, chastity and
obedience) within the context of a Community. There is a process of exploration
and discernment, before any final commitment is made to this way of life.
‘To live a life according to the pattern of
the holy Gospel’
As Christians we are all through our
baptism called to follow the example of Christ and to share the Good News in our
daily lives. To do that we need to be nourished and sustained in our faith
through prayer, word and sacrament and are encouraged on our journey by members
of the worshipping community, the Body of Christ. In all that we do Christ is at
the centre influencing our thoughts and words and actions and we are called to
love, obey and serve the Lord in the whole of our lives.
A process of conversion as the call is
recognised... For St Francis the journey of discernment, revelation and
understanding was a gradual one with various turning points along the way. It
was as though with each step another piece of the jigsaw beginning to fit into
place. The journey took him from his early years as the son of a wealthy cloth
merchant in Assisi, enjoying a rich social life with his friends, to begging and
preaching in the same streets where he used to sing the songs of the
troubadours. About Francis
Francis’ Dream
As a young man Francis had romantic ideals
of knighthood and so at the age of 20 he went to battle in a dispute between
Assisi and the neighbouring city of Perugia. However he was taken captive and
spent a year in Jail before he returned to Assisi a changed man after his
experiences, restless and searching. In time he continued to pursue his ambition
to be a knight, until one night on the battlefield of Spoleto, he had a dream.
In it he recognised God’s voice asking him to return from the battlefield to
Assisi. Slowly it began to dawn on Francis that God was saying ‘Come Francis,
follow me’. In realisation of this Francis spent the next year living as a
hermit, trying to discern what God was asking of him.
Meeting with a Leper
Another turning point on his journey of
conversion was Francis’ meeting with a leper on the road. He had in the past
gone to great lengths to avoid any contact with these diseased and suffering
people. But here was the moment of truth as he stood face to face with this poor
leper. God not only gave Francis the strength and courage to remain steadfast
and to face his fear but also enabled him to take that extra step and to embrace
the leper and to give him alms. As we hear in ‘The Testament’ of Francis what
had been bitter for him was transformed into a sweetness of body and soul.
San Damiano
During this time Francis spent much time in
prayer and it was kneeling before the crucifix in the broken down church of San
Damiano that the next stage of Francis journey was revealed. Deep in prayer, it
was as though the figure on the crucifix spoke to him, telling him to rebuild
the church. Francis responded with enthusiasm and taking the message literally
began to physically rebuild the church by begging for stones.
The message of the Gospel
Another definitive turning point for
Francis was on hearing the gospel of the day being read in the Church of St Mary
of the Angels. Its message so touched his soul that a fire was ignited in his
heart and was to become the foundation for the rest of his life (Matthew 10: 7,
9-10). In response to the message Francis clothed himself in a simple tunic, put
a rope around his waist and removed his shoes and began to preach and proclaim
the good news with great simplicity and power.
People are still inspired by this message
today and seek to follow Christ in the way of St Francis. This is how Francis
heard the call. If something of these stories touches you God may be calling
you. God still calls people today.
So what makes our life as Franciscans
distinctive from any other religious community? Through all of creation he was
able to see the hand and work of his Creator God and as Francis’ ‘turning to
God’ unfolded, he was gripped by the fact of the Incarnation and nature became
truly holy for him. He was enthralled by God’s presence in the created order.
At the end of his life Francis completed
his song of the praise of all creation ‘The Canticle of the Creatures’, see also
Christ in creation. The Canticle reflects a transformed relationship with
creation, where everything created, animate or inanimate was revered because of
its common origin in God, the Source of all Being.
So it is from this basis that the First
Order Anglican Franciscan brothers and sisters try to live out their lives in a
spirit of humility, love and joy. Guidance for the living of our daily lives is
laid out in the Rule of Life and in The Principles of the Order, a portion of
which is read each day by the brothers and sisters.
We strive to achieve a balance between the
three elements of Prayer, Work and Study through all of which we seek to serve.
Prayer – We try to live lives rooted in
prayer, with the Eucharist at the heart of all that we do. In addition to the
corporate times of prayer, time is set aside for private prayer and individual
communion with God. See Praying with SSF and How I pray.
Works – As Anglican Franciscans we have no
one particular ministry or apostolate, but have different ministries according
to the gifts that God has given us, However The Principles state that the active
works begin within our houses and gardens, in which 'the tasks are apportioned
among all so that all may contribute their own share to the work of the
household and the cost of their own living.'
Study – We are as Franciscans committed to
a life of on-going formation and seek to find opportunities for study and
learning that will help with that process of life-long learning. Learn more
In all of these areas we offer ourselves as
channels of God’s grace to one another and to all with whom we have contact,
seeking to live our lives in the spirit of humility, love, and joy
Humility – This is about recognising our
dependence on God, and about following the example of Christ who emptied
himself, taking the form of a servant and who on the last night of his life
washed his disciples’ feet (c.f. Philippians 2:5-11). We endeavour to live all
relationships in humility towards one another, seeking rather to take the log
out of our own eye than the speck out of the eye of another (c.f. Matthew
7:1-5). The things that we find difficult in others must be the subject of
prayer rather than criticism.
Love – As Jesus said to his disciples: ' I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you,
you also should love one another'. (John 13:34 NRSV), so too we seek to make
this love a distinguishing feature of all that we do in the service of Christ.
The Principles say …'brothers and sisters
“must be on their guard against all that injures this love: the bitter thought,
the hasty retort, the angry gesture, and never fail to ask forgiveness of any
against whom they have sinned'.
Joy – Joy is a gift that comes from God,
abiding even in days of darkness and difficulty. Francis was the epitome of joy
and indeed his writing of the Canticle of the Creatures at a time of
deteriorating health is an example of light shining through the darkness, of the
joy and beauty of creation being praised amidst much pain and suffering. As
Franciscans therefore “we delight in laughter and good fellowship”. The
Principles SSF
Click to return to top of this
page
Maximilian SSF
Maximilian was re-admitted to the novitiate
in Lent 2000, made his first profession in 2002 and his life profession in 2005.
He has spent much of his life in SSF as part of the household at Alnmouth, but
is now, with Paschal, involved in a new small house in Walsingham, serving the
shrine and pilgrims, while training for ordination.
From around age nine I was aware of a sense
of calling to some form of Religious Life but that it might be something for
"later on" in my life. During my early twenties, while working as a nurse, I
moved through a time of having my faith shaken by many of the experiences of
suffering I encountered. There then followed a progressive awareness of not just
the existence of God, but that He knew me personally. I began to read the
Gospels again, and meet Jesus afresh. Attending Church became essential during
this time, and my Parish Priest helped greatly as my discernment continued. I
came to realise that "later on" could be much sooner than I thought!
Eventually, I responded to God's call by
testing my vocation with the Society of Saint Francis. After three years, as my
noviciate reached its end, it became clear that the time was not right for me to
apply for making vows, and I left the Order. This turned out to be a time of
significant growth, personally and spiritually. I would describe my spiritual
home as being within the Catholic tradition of the Church of England, but during
this time, God drew me to an evangelical Anglican Church, where I served on the
PCC, and worked extensively with youth ministry. I also on occasion attended a
nearby Anglo Catholic Church, and these two aspects of the spiritual life have
merged within me, and continue to yield fruit.
Throughout the five years following my
departure from the Order, I worked as a Counsellor and Community Support Worker,
which was very fulfilling. However, I found myself persistently, although not
stiflingly, reflecting on my life as a Friar and my decision to leave. In
response to what I came to see as God's promptings, I approached SSF to seek
advice on what I should do. When I was invited to rejoin, I was aware of a deep
sense of rightness, and of a response to God's timing. As I confirmed my vows
before the Bishop at my Life Profession, I was overwhelmed by a profound joy,
which continues to sustain me.
A sense of calling to the priesthood has
also been with me over the years. I have recently been recommended to begin
training for ordination, and it became clear that my primary vocation to be a
Friar needed to be in place first.
I am immensely grateful to SSF for taking
the risk of allowing me to rejoin the Franciscan path following my departure,
and therefore myself, risk submitting to God's call. I believe it is possible to
offer all that we do to Jesus, and that He will accept and work through it. I
also believe though, that God has a specific path He would have each of us take.
Through careful discernment from ourselves and those around us, we can take the
risk of stepping onto this path, and move forward, with joy, and in faith that
Jesus assuredly walks with us.
Phyllis CSF Phyllis joined CSF in 1977 was life
professed in 1988 and has lived in various CSF houses during her time in
Community. Currently she is living at Compton Durville where she is currently
house bursar.
It took about 10 years to realise that God
might be calling ME to the Religious Life – from a “no way, not me,Lord” to
“Yes,Lord” after all the buts. I was working overseas when the “Yes” began to
emerge, and sensed that God was asking me to go deeper – not better or busier
but deeper. A transforming sermon on Luke 5 convinced me I could no longer live
on the edge but had to launch into the deep.
Gradually I realised I was not being called
to the community with whom I had been living nor to the community of which I had
been an associate, but to the differently challenging Community of St.Francis.
Since joining CSF in 1977 I have experienced many highs and lows and know that
the religious life is neither a soft option nor an escape or even “tame” as some
people suggest. God uses all the experiences which are brought into Community to
enhance our life and God’s work. My call is not a one-off, I know God continues
to call me to this corporate life of prayer, work and witness and no one is more
surprised than me.
Click to return to top of this
page
John SSF John became a novice early in 2002,
made his first profession in 2005, and his life profession on 4th April 2008,
the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King.
How did I end up joining a Franciscan
Community? It crept up on me and suddenly pounced. I was a Baptist for 25 years,
a minister for half of them. From that tradition I received a love of scripture,
a desire to communicate the gospel effectively and many other blessings. The
civil rights leader Martin Luther King was my hero.
By exploring the retreat movement I
discovered the power of silence to draw us deeper into God and stumbled across
the realisation that there was a significant contemplative dimension to my
personality that needed to be taken seriously if prayer and ministry were to be
truly in and of the Holy Spirit.
The disintegration of my marriage and the
accompanying recognition of guilt and failure prompted a lot of soul searching.
Did God still want me to serve him, or to bow out gracelessly? Confused, I
confided in a spiritual counsellor who accompanied me through the darkness and
helped me to listen for my own inner voice. In my gospel reading one day,
someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go” (Luke 9:57). My sense
that this was what God wanted to hear from me engendered a mixture of profound
gratitude and terror. Gratitude marginally prevailed. I consented, still fairly
clueless as to where ‘wherever’ might be.
Jean Vanier’s classic book “Community and
Growth” had sat unread on my shelf for years. I opened it, and was captivated by
his descriptions of the call to community and the call of the poor. Both of
these calls reverberated around my heart. Some vague memory induced me to read
Brother Ramon’s ‘Franciscan Spirituality’. This template of discipleship, with
its simplicity and itinerancy, seemed to fit me. It revealed a pattern that made
sense of the broken jumble that was all I could otherwise perceive my life to
be; it presented inspiring challenges; it resurrected my dreams.
Visits to friaries immersed me in
liturgical catholic worship. This required adjustments and rethinking, but
proved over time to be liberating, full of beauty and joy, not the superstitious
straitjacket of my prejudiced imagination. Weirdly I felt I belonged in this
strange territory. Step by step and under the authority and care of the brothers
I made the transition to a new home. All of me came. Positive and negative life
experiences. Grace and grit. All of me was received.
Six years on I have lived in and visited
poorer places and people than before and hope to do more of this. I am still at
home moving from brokenness to wholeness in the company of these lovely,
infuriating Franciscan brothers and sisters, seeking to follow Jesus
wherever.
Liz CSF Sr Liz made her first profession in
April 2007, and is presently Guest Sister at Compton Durville.
My name is Sr Liz, an
ordained priest and currently a sister in First Profession with CSF at Compton
Durville in Somerset.
So why am I here?
So five years on, how has it been?
Nicholas Alan SSF
Br Nicholas Alan made his life
profession in 2002, and is presently Guardian of Glasshampton Monastery.
Where does a vocation begin? For me it was
more of a growing conviction only recognised in hindsight, but I remember a time
when there was something about the words ‘monk’ and ‘monastery’ that kept
leaping out of the page in books that I was reading. I was studying Theology at
university at the time, and finding some of the critical theologians hard going.
It was the books by monks and nuns that really captured my imagination – people
like the Cistercian Thomas Merton, or Dom Henri Le Saux, a Benedictine who went
to India taking the name Abhishiktananda, a Christian in Hindu robes. Here was a
faith lived with integrity and abandonment to God, which called for a response
from my heart.
It took me a while to make up my mind
though. First I wrote to various communities for men in the Church of England,
asking if I could live alongside their community for a while. They all seemed to
say, Why not try the Franciscans? So I went to visit Hilfield Friary in Dorset,
but I knew it was too early for me to join. I wanted to see the world. Eight
years later, now living in Korea, I knew that it was time to return and get on
with what I believed God had been patiently calling me to do.
Many things drew me to the Franciscans.
Partly it was the corporate commitment to prayer at regular times each day. I
had tried to do that on my own, using the SSF Office Book and re-connecting in
spirit with the SSF, but it was so difficult on my own to maintain the
discipline. I realised I needed the help of others in my prayers. And I didn’t
like living alone. Community seemed to offer the balance of individual space and
the companionship of others on a spiritual path. And Francis, full of wisdom’s
folly, was a refreshing and exhilarating example of poverty and joy in his love
of God and all his brothers and sisters.
But in the end, what kept me in the SSF was
simply that these brothers and sisters were the people I had come to know and
love. They were and are my family. How could I think of leaving them? And it
wasn’t just them. Friendships with members of other communities, not just
Anglican but Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Buddhist too were increasingly
important to me. They were all part of what I had become. Of course the desire
for a wife and family was still there, but somewhere along the line a choice had
been made and one path followed with another left unexplored.
And in this company of brothers and
sisters, both those with whom I live and pray and those I have visited and come
to know as friends, with these companions I honestly feel that living this life
makes a difference. People visit our communities and are changed: refreshed and
revitalised in spirit, strengthened to live their own lives to the full. People
and groups we visit find something in this crazy choice of ours that inspires
them, just as I was inspired as a student. When you live this life for a while,
you soon realise that it is not you who work any of these miracles, it can only
be God. And if God is here, then the one thing necessary has already been
found.
Click to return to top of this
page
If this doesn’t sound like you, there are other ways of being Franciscan
Discernment:
Visiting different religious houses is a good place to start, to begin to familiarise yourself with the people who are actually living out a religious vocation. As you feel drawn to a particular community you need to begin to talk to the person responsible for vocations within that community. For the Franciscan order that is the Novice Guardian for either the brothers or the sisters.
Talking to someone who knows you really well and who can pray with you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Read some of the current information about the Franciscan Community in our brochures: A Franciscan Way (opens a new window, PDF format).
Making an enquiry:
Contact the Novice Guardian of the Brothers of Sisters, preferably either by letter or email.
For the Brothers: Novice Guardian, Hilfield Friary, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7BE, Telephone: 01300 341345, email: noviceguardianssf@franciscans.org.uk
For the Sisters: Novice Guardian, Community of St Francis, Compton Durville, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5ES, Telephone: 01460 240473, email: noviceguardiancsf@franciscans.org.uk
Making a Visit:
Check the availability of the Novice Guardian and arrange to come and stay. Contact details as above.
Applying:
The Novice Guardian will guide you through this process.
Click to return to top of this
page
Ongoing Formation - Stages on the way…
Having made contact with the brothers or
sisters, there will be an opportunity to come and live alongside as an Enquirer
for a short period to get a better feel for the way of life. If it feels right
to take the next step and the community is in agreement you will return to your
own home to continue the process of discernment and to complete an application
form, which includes providing references, and a medical questionnaire, before
being invited for an interview. If accepted you will be admitted as an Aspirant,
one who has been invited to come and test their vocation to the religious life.
A date will be arranged for you to come to one of the houses to begin that
process.
When you arrive you will be admitted as a
Postulant.The sisters receive a Tau Cross as a visible symbol of their
association with the community and the brothers wear a brown over smock. During
this time you begin to live community life and get involved with some of the
daily tasks, so that you are able to deepen your experience of this way of life.
After a three to six month postulancy, if you and the community feel it is
right, the next stage is to begin a three to four year period as a Novice.
As a novice you receive the brown habit and
a rope with a single knot signifying a commitment to the community. During this
period you are accompanied on the journey by the Novice Guardian,undertake some
study and receive formation in the Franciscan way of life, and can expect to
experience different aspects of the life in various houses. The novitiate can be
ended by either side at any time.
In consultation with the Novice Guardian
and the Minister Provincial novices can apply to be allowed to make vows. If
elected by the Provincial Chapter novices make their First Profession in vows
(poverty, chastity and obedience) and receive a rope with three knots to
represent these three vows.
Living a vowed life The vows are
commitments that we make to a way of life that makes demands on the whole
person. The vows are not ends in themselves, but are a way of helping us to live
the gospel, to follow more closely in the footsteps of Christ and to share with
others the love of God. Despite what people often think the vows bring with them
an immense amount of freedom and liberation.
As Franciscans (in common with many other
religious communities) we take the three vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience.
Poverty – The person called to the
religious life feels a desire to live simply and the vow of poverty means
assuming a new relationship with things. This means living with our brothers and
sisters in simplicity with an openness of heart – sharing all that we have both
materially and spiritually. This vow expresses dependence on and trust in God’s
care for us. We receive no individual pay, but any income goes into the
corporate ‘pot’ to be shared as needed and so we live as a family having all
things in common.
Thus the vow of poverty endeavours to
encourage us to seek the riches of Christ, to be found not in material
possessions but within our own being, in our relationship with Christ and in our
relationship with others. We are encouraged to have our heart set on that
spiritual home where our treasure lies.
Chastity – This vow is about “giving
ourselves in undivided love to Christ, in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom
of God and in his love for all” (SSF Profession Service). In other words the
primary relationship is that with God. The calling to celibacy is a vocation in
its own right and those who embrace this calling do so because that is how they
believe God is asking them to serve him. It is a vow of immense liberation.
There is a greater availability to God and a greater freedom to respond to where
God might be calling us to be as there are no other committed relationships to
consider. In making this commitment there is a mutual love and care for one
another, to which we witness in our daily relationships and through which we
endeavour to make the light of Christ shine to all whom we meet.
Obedience – This vow is about listening and
responding to God, as God’s will is made known through the people and situations
of life, and is firmly rooted in prayer. Those living this form of life commit
themselves to listening to God through the decisions of the community and
through those who are appointed to positions of leadership. If we look to Jesus
as an example, his obedience points to the Father’s will and was made possible
because they were united as one in and through prayer.
After a period of three to seven years
First Professed brothers and sisters can apply to be elected to Life Profession
by the Provincial Chapter.
Click to return to top of this
page
Section 1
Click here for
the "About section", where you will find more information regarding St Francis,
St Clare, the time the saints lived in, the Pilgrimage to Assisi, Franciscan
tradition and why after you?
Section 4
Click here for
"Franciscan News" section
Section 7 - Becoming a Franciscan
Click here for some
of our stories
Click here for Living
as Franciscans
Click here for what
next?
Click here for Growing into the
life
Click here for other
sections
Franciscan calling
Some of our stories
Well the ‘seed’ of Community has been around for some time.
Over the years in times of quiet reflection I have felt God’s promise of a
deeper and more intimate relationship with him, a constant searching and
yearning. It was during the Life Profession Service of another sister, that I
(rather alarmingly) felt an overwhelming sense of ‘belonging’ and knew that this
was something that I needed to explore further. Drawn by the freedom, joy and
spontaneity I had seen, I began to hear myself asking those unspoken questions,
knowing in my depths that I had to step out in faith and trust (although I
confess rather tentatively and not without much apprehension!). There was
something about searching for a corporate rhythm, routine and discipline of life
that was rooted in prayer, because I firmly believe that all that I do has to
come from that solid foundation, from that centre of being in relationship with
God, a relationship that is renewed daily in prayer, word and sacrament.
Well, it has certainly been a time of great change,
transformation and revelation, of much emotional upheaval and turmoil but also a
time of great liberation as the different aspects of my life begin to come
together, like the pieces of a jigsaw. Each piece is being carefully refined and
transformed as I am brought to a greater place of healing and wholeness in God’s
love and as I begin to really discover the person God created me to be.
Living as Franciscans
The stories of Francis and Clare have inspired men and women through the
ages to follow Christ in the Franciscan Way and there are many today who feel
called to this way of life, living in community under the vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience
What next?
What to do if you think you may be called to join us in the First Order...
Basic Requirements:
Aged between 21 – 45
Reasonably fit, both physically and psychologically
Single, with no dependent children
Free of debt apart from student loans
A member of a church in the Anglican Communion (e.g. Church of England; Scottish Episcopal Church; Church of Ireland; Church in Wales)
The process of Discernment is a two-way process, at the heart of which is prayer – are the Franciscans right for you – and are you right for the Franciscans? It is a process that continues throughout the various stages of exploration and continues until Life Profession – anything between seven and eleven years later.
Growing into the life
Other sections